How Did Nutella Take Over the Breakfast World?
Everyone has heard of it, the delicious creamy breakfast spread, Nutella. However, what no one questions is how it became an overnight sensation that still continues to hold unwavering popularity.
Nutella was originally created by Pietro Ferrero around 1946 and only did his son really help to bring it to the market in Europe eventually creating a craze in the United States. At Colombia University the undergrad students were so enamored with the spread that they were swiping tubs full from the dining hall costing the university as much as $5,000. Sales only truly started to pick up in the states when advertising began, making the sales triple to $240 million. Focusing its branding on a breakfast market by becoming one of the typical spread such as jam and butter to put on your bread. Then they were able to even reach a family status, that Nutella was a spread that could be enjoyed by your entire family, something that can be shared, but more importantly something that is special. All of this led to a kind of Nutella craze worldwide, so they leaned into that craze, creating things such as a Nutella bar in Eataly, Mario Batali's popular New York City Italian food hall.
It became part of pop-culture as it had a strong social media following and people began posting numerous recipes of how to cook with it and the endless possibilities with which you can use it. They even were able to create a worldwide marketing campaign by gaining the ownership to a Nutella Day, really aiding their marketing strategy. Nutella is a product that really shows us the importance that marketing has on the popularity of a product.
https://startupnation.com/start-your-business/get-inspired/three-branding-strategies-made-nutella-business-success/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-nutella-conquered-america?ref=scroll
https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/ncltella-word-of-mouth-marketing/
Nutella has always had really distinct packaging and container shape which has definitely helped create a specific brand. It also associated the name nutella with the flavor of a candylike hazelnut spread. Other hazelnut spreads did not taste as good. More than that though, it hits a really niche audience. Nutella is a dessert spread! There is not a lot of competition and Nutella is yummier than all of them regardless.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting! I didn't realize how Nutella has become so big, so fast. I also find it really interesting how there are other products that are nutella spin offs, such as the yummy Nutella Breadsticks I had the other day! In expanding Nutella's marketing, they have, however, promoted Nutella to be healthy. In fact NPR news claims that back in 2012, there was a lawsuit where Nutella was considering settling for $3 million because they deceptively advertised that Nutella was healthy.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/26/151454929/nutella-maker-may-settle-deceptive-ad-lawsuit-for-3-million
Nice blog post! I agree with you when you say that Nutella did in fact rise in popularity. I myself LOVE Nutella not only because of their thought out logo and strategies in advertising but because of it's rich chocolaty-hazelnut flavor!
ReplyDeleteSuper interesting! I didn't know before how Nutella was formed, so it was really fascinating to read about that. Also, through the use of advertising (and an amazing product, in my opinion!) Nutella has been able to crush its competition. According to one source, this competition includes companies such as Jif, Justin's Hazelnut Butter, and Kroger & Market Pantry. I actually have never heard of Justin's Hazelnut Butter and Kroger & Market Pantry which goes to prove that Nutella has a much larger brand name and its advertising is more widespread.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/comparing-nutella.html
Great post! I have always loved Ferrero Rochers, especially the creamy chocolate in the center; when I was younger I always wished there was more of it. I guessed many customers shared that feeling, because they began selling the same chocolate as Nutella! I think part of the reason Nutella became so big was because of the internet culture and memes that came with it. I feel like most of the marketing that brought Nutella to the forefront was by consumers. Blogs on Tumblr and other websites would play up how delicious Nutella. While the majority agreed it was good, this online community and the ability to relate is what I believe propelled Nutella ahead of other chocolate spreads. Something interesting I found was that the third most liked Facebook page of 2009 was Nutella. In contrast, Barack Obama and Cocoa-Cola took the other top spots. Nutella has a cult following. Like in the marketing documentary we watched, it inspires brand loyalty. Do you think that Nutella is overhyped by online culture, (which in turn boosts sales) or do you think sales accurately reflect the quality of the product?
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/nutella-web-giant-105421/
Good post! I also remember that they were sued for false advertising a few years ago, which I was taken aback by. Apparently one of their ads implied that Nutella was "healthy" proven, which is not true. While it might be healthier than other chocolate spreads, it certainly isn't healthy by any standards. They were sued for false advertising, but they still stayed strong and I love Nutella. Cool points and long live Nutella!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I didn’t realize Nutella had a huge presence in other places of the world as it did in America. Apparently, Georgia (the country) has been using Europe’s love for the chocolaty spread as a gateway to get more involved with the European Union. Georgia is known for its supply on hazelnuts, and the main ingredient of Nutella aside from chocolate is hazelnuts! This all seems great but Georgia has problems facing its supply. About 10% of the hazelnuts Georgia exports come from the Russian-backed breakaway territory of Abkhazia. There has been a stink bug outbreak in the area, and approximately 20 million dollars worth of product has been damaged thus far. It seems like Russia will be stepping into the playing field with hazelnut production. It is interesting how people are able to interact and build bonds through supply and demand and it is also interesting how nature can quickly turn things around!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.economist.com/europe/2017/10/19/georgia-and-abkhazia-are-making-nutellas-job-harder
https://theclippermag.com/index.php/nuts/hazelnuts/georgias-hazelnut-production-suffers-20-million-damage-stink-bug/